In the wake of the U.S. military pullout from Iraq, a political crisis threatens to ignite a fresh sectarian conflict. Regional tension between Shi'ite powerhouse Iran and Sunni archrival Saudi Arabia also threatens to worsen the sectarian divide in the Middle East.

In a region hit by multiple crises and growing instability, the latest Iraqi political divide comes as Shi'ite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has attempted to arrest his Sunni vice president and dismiss a Sunni deputy prime minister.

That has led to an outpouring of warnings from Iraq's rival Sunni, Shi'ite and Kurdish leaders. Iyad Allawi, the leader of the main, Sunni-backed Iraqiya party demanded that Mr. Maliki be replaced:

"Democracy is now falling apart in the country, and as the political process is facing a lot of hurdles, as we can see, then we need to have somebody who would interact with others, who would manage the country until the next elections, and we want to suggest to the national alliance to find an alternative for Mr. Maliki," Allawi said.

Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi has fled to the autonomous region of Kurdistan in northern Iraq, where regional President Massoud Barzani gave him refuge. Barzani urged Iraqi leaders to go to the negotiating table and compromise:

He says the crisis threatens the country's power-sharing and warns that it could provoke the collapse of the political process.

[Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told VOA's Persian News Network Thursday the crisis needs to be resolved "as soon as possible" because it could "adversely impact the security situation." He said the government is trying to "tone down the rhetoric" on the issue.]

Iraq analyst Peter Harling of the International Crisis Group says that after nearly a decade in Iraq, the U.S. pullout has left Iraq in disarray.

"The U.S. is leaving behind a country with too many loose ends. Nothing is really being locked in, in terms of the power-sharing agreement, the constitution is still much debated, the relationship between the capital and the governorates is still a work in progress, and the Kurdish issue remains unsettled," Harling said.

Some Iraq analysts, however, caution that it's too quick to jump to conclusions. James Denselow of King's College London argues that Iraq's latest crisis is just another facet of the political process:

"It's a Lebanese-like system in which consensus politics will reign, and without that level of consensus violence will occur outside the political system that's not strong enough nor institutionalized enough to handle that kind of level of disagreement. So, Maliki is making a move for power and looking to isolate people who he feels have undermined his power base," said Denselow. "But, the key is whether it will remain court politics or whether it will sort of fan out and become a wider, national problem."

London-based Iran analyst Mehrdad Khonsari says the Iraq tensions are reflected more broadly in the Middle East where rivalries between Sunni and Shi'ite interests are being played out in Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian territories and Bahrain.

"Saudi Arabia and Iran are engaged in a cold war that has now become much more apparent in the last several months. They are competing for influence in Iraq and Syria in an open way," said Khonsari.

Iraqis, meanwhile, are watching to see whether the Sunni-Shi'ite political tensions will flare into a more violent divide.

Manned deep space missions are still a long way off, but space agencies are already testing procedures, equipment and human stamina for operations in extreme environment conditions. Small groups of astronauts take turns in spending days in an underwater lab, off Florida’s southern coast, simulating future missions to some remote world. VOA’s George Putic reports.

Video

Manned deep space missions are still a long way off, but space agencies are already testing procedures, equipment and human stamina for operations in extreme environment conditions. Small groups of astronauts take turns in spending days in an underwater lab, off Florida’s southern coast, simulating future missions to some remote world. VOA’s George Putic reports.

Video

Fifty years ago, lawmakers approved, and U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed, the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The measure outlawed racial discrimination in voting, giving millions of blacks in many parts of the southern United States federal enforcement of the right to vote. Correspondent Chris Simkins introduces us to some civil rights leaders who were on the front lines in the struggle for voting rights.

Video

Billions of dollars of so-called ‘dirty money’ from the proceeds of crime - especially from Russia - are being laundered through the London property market, according to anti-corruption activists. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the British capital, the government has pledged to crack down on the practice.

Video

Ottawa, Illinois, is the hometown of W.D. Boyce, who founded the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. In Ottawa, where Scouting remains an important part of the legacy of the community, the end of the organization's ban on openly gay adult leaders was seen as inevitable. VOA's Kane Farabaugh reports.

Video

Artificial limbs, including the most complex of them – the human hand – are getting more life-like and useful due to constant advances in tiny hydraulic, pneumatic and electric motors called actuators. But now, as VOA’s George Putic reports, scientists in Germany say the future of the prosthetic hand may lie not in motors but in wires that can ‘remember’ their shape.

Video

A British pro-democracy group has accused Russia of abusing the global law enforcement agency Interpol by requesting the arrest and extradition of political opponents. A new report by the group notes such requests can mean the accused are unable to travel and are often unable to open bank accounts. VOA's Henry Ridgwell reports.

Video

Talks on a major new trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim nations are said to be nearing completion in Hawaii. Some trade experts say the "positive atmosphere" at the discussions could mean a deal is within reach, but there is still hard bargaining to be done over many issues and products, including U.S. drugs and Japanese rice. VOA's Jim Randle reports.

Video

Earth is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction. The last such event was caused by an asteroid 66 million years ago. It killed off the dinosaurs and practically everything else. So scientists are in a race against time to classify the estimated 11 million species alive today. So far only 2 million are described by science, and researchers are worried many will disappear before they even have a name. VOA’s Rosanne Skirble reports.

Video

Scientists have long been trying to develop an effective protection and cure for malaria - one of the deadliest diseases that affects people in tropical areas, especially children. As the World Health Organization announces plans to begin clinical trials of a promising new vaccine, scientists in South Africa report that they too are at an important threshold. George Putic reports, they are testing a compound that could be a single-dose cure for malaria.

Video

The latest issue of 'New York' magazine features 35 women who say they were drugged and raped by film and television celebrity Bill Cosby. The women are aged from 44 to 80 and come from different walks of life and races. The magazine interviewed each of them separately, but Zlatica Hoke reports their stories are similar.

Video

The United States is promising not to give up its fight against what Secretary of State John Kerry calls the “scourge” of modern slavery. Officials released the country’s annual human trafficking report Monday – a report that’s being met with some criticism. VOA’s National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin has more from the State Department.

Video

Abandoned more than 50 years ago, the underground streetcar station in Washington D.C.’s historic DuPont Circle district is about to be reborn. The plan calls for turning the spacious underground platforms - once meant to be a transportation hub, - into a unique space for art exhibitions, presentations, concerts and even a film set. Roman Mamonov has more from beneath the streets of the U.S. capital. Joy Wagner narrates his report.

Video

Greece has replaced Italy as the main gateway for migrants into Europe, with more than 100,000 arrivals in the first six months of 2015. Many want to move further into Europe and escape Greece’s economic crisis, but they face widespread dangers on the journey overland through the Balkans. VOA's Henry Ridgwell reports.

Video

After the closure of a major rubbish dump a week ago, the streets of Beirut are filling up with trash. Having failed to draw up a plan B, politicians are struggling to deal with the problem. John Owens has more for VOA from Beirut.

Video

A U.N. climate conference in December aims to produce an ambitious agreement to fight heat-trapping greenhouse gases. But many local governments are not waiting, and have drafted their own climate action plans. That’s the case with Paris — which is getting special attention, since it’s hosting the climate summit. Lisa Bryant takes a look for VOA at the transformation of the French capital into an eco-city.